Best Mobile Apps for Travel

9 Essential Travel Apps

Mobile apps are all the rage now and definitely make life easier. Discover 9 essential mobile apps for travel on www.kingteeuhh.com

Best Mobile Apps for Travel

Traveling is definitely one of my favorite things to do. There’s a special kind of adrenaline rush that goes along with finding a fare, booking a flight, and counting down the days until your departure. And don’t forget the actual trip! What makes the travel process even better is when you have great tools to make the steps throughout the process easier, faster and cheaper. In this day and age, phone apps are the way to carry all the tools you could ever want right in your pocket. Here are 10 essential travel apps every traveler should have in his or her phone:

 

SkyScanner

On the surface, Skyscanner may seem like any of the other handful of search engines for flights, hotels, and cars, but it has a major stand out feature in my opinion. I tend to use the desktop version most often but the ability to access this tool anytime or anyplace is invaluable. My favorite feature on this app is its search features. You can search for flights from your favorite airport, to ‘everywhere’, for the cheapest month/specific dates/specific month, in order to find the cheapest flights. How cool is that? With Skyscanner, you just have to want to go somewhere, no need to stress yourself with deciding exactly where to go or when. Let Skyscanner do the hard work.

*Photo courtesy of skyscanner.net

 

Hopper

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Hopper is like the magic eight ball of travel apps–it tells you when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em. When to fly and when to buy. Okay, plainly put, it uses some complicated algorithm to analyze data and predict ticket prices. It’s perfect for stalking fares for the trip you know you have to take for specific dates. I used hopper when I planned my trip to Barbados for Crop Over 2016. I just put in the dates I wanted to travel about 6-8 months prior and let Hopper do the rest of the work. Every day or so I would receive a notification from Hopper telling me whether the fare was predicted to rise or fall, and a suggestion to either purchase now or wait. One night I received a message that the fare for my dates was predicted to rise soon and remain high and that I should purchase. The first thing the following morning I booked my flight. Not even 30 minutes later the price went up $100 and never came back down. Thank me later.

*Photo courtesy of Google Play

 

Maps.me

10 Essential Travel Apps www.kingteeuhh.com

The secret sauce to maps.me is that it provides offline maps for all countries and cities around the globe. Offline as in you don’t need wi-fi or service. For you good “travelers” who still don’t have T-mobile (insert big palm tree here) and find yourself in a country where you don’t have cellular coverage, this app is clutch. You can download maps for the cities/countries you plan to visit and you can also drop pins on the actual places you want to go. This makes it super simple to find your way around in places you’ve never been without having to rely on people you don’t know. It probably goes without saying that an app like maps.me is a gem for people who enjoy planning their trips to a T. This is definitely a must have app for anyone traveling to Cuba–at least until cellular coverage is a cost effective option there.

 

 

Skiplagged

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Skiplagged is pretty similar to Skyscanner in that it helps to find the cheapest flights and hotels. It finds ‘hidden city’ tickets where your final destination is a layover in route to another location. So you’d essentially skip one leg of the itinerary. This method of traveling can save you money but it’s definitely something airlines seem to be adjusting for by sometimes dissolving your remaining ticket if you skip a leg. In addition, there are other inconveniences (depending on how you travel) like not being able to check a bag since it would be routed through to the final booked destination.

*Photo courtesy of Google Play

Mobile Passport

10 Essential Travel Apps www.kingteeuhh.com

 

A while back I did a post on Global Entry which is a program offered by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol that includes TSA Pre-check and essentially allows you to speed through re-entry into the United States (i.e. skip the long lines). I have Global Entry so I don’t actually use Mobile Passport (although I have the app just in case), but if you aren’t ready to pay $100 for Global Entry, Mobile Passport is a great free alternative. Who doesn’t like free? Similar to Global Entry, Mobile Passport allows users to expedite re-entry into the U.S. through a dedicated line at 20 different airports. All you need to do is download the app (free), set up your profile with your passport number, info, and take a photo, and answer a few U.S. Customs and Border Patrol questions. Most of the time when I return to the US at an airport with Mobile Passport the line is completely empty. Save yourself some time and download it today!

*Photo courtesy of Google Play

 

RELATED: Everything You Need To Know About Global Entry

 

TripCase

Trip Case https://kingteeuhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/trip-case.png

 

TripCase is by far one of my favorite travel apps. It allows you to manage the itineraries for your trips and flights all in one place by simply forwarding your confirmations to the app. I love not having to search for flight confirmations in my email when I need to check details! It counts you down to your departures, stores your flight information, allows you to add trip details and accommodations, gives the weather in the location, provides airport maps, links to book transportation, and information to discover your destination. All in one place!!

*Photo courtesy of Google Play

Google Translate

Google Play https://kingteeuhh.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/google-play.png

 

A lot of people are apprehensive about how to navigate the language barriers when traveling abroad. While it is not a battle that I have had to fight yet (not because I’m fluent in the language of everywhere I’ve traveled), you can’t overlook the value of an app that can bridge the communication gap. While an app like Google Translate is invaluable, my advice is not to completely rely on it by using it ALL the time. Part of the beauty of travel is the learning and growth. It’s difficult to learn when someone or something is doing all of the work for you. One thing I’ve learned about traveling to places where I’m not fluent in the language is people appreciate the effort even if you’re wrong or terrible at it.

*Photo courtesy of Google Play

 

TripAdvisor

 

10 Essential Travel Apps www.kingteeuhh.com

 

It kinda goes without saying that TripAdvisor is one of the most trusted tools for reviews on travel related services and recommendations. If you’re ever headed to a location and want to know what’s best to do, how to do it, or who to do it with, TripAdvisor is a great place to start. It’s worth mentioning that you’re able to do bookings on TripAdvisor, but as I mentioned before, in my opinion, it’s best known for reviews and recommendations.

 

Service

Delayed and canceled flights are not only a major disappointment but can also be a major inconvenience. All too often in the travel industry delays and cancellations are to no fault of our own but can potentially ruin a vacation and there’s nothing we can do to fix it. You’re lucky if the airline offers to compensate you in any way. Enter the Service app. Service helps you to get paid when your flight is delayed or canceled by directly contacting the airline on your behalf for compensation. You can receive compensation in a variety of ways including travel credits or travel miles, both of which can definitely come in handy when you’re in an unexpected bind.

Sign up for free here.

 

 

Do any of these apps sound like ones you need to try? What are your favorite travel apps? Let me know in the comments!

 

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